Needle cam for flat-knitting machines



x J. MULLER NEEDLE CAM FOR FLAT KNITTING MACHINES Jan. 4, 1927.

INVENTOR: NuLLtR ATTORNEY.

L/OHN Filed Apri Patented Jan. 4, 1927.

JOHN MULLER, BROGKLYN, NEW YORK.

NEEDLE CAM FOR rLAT-Kmr'rine MAoHmEs.

Application filed April 17,

This invention relates to'improvements in I One of the objects of my invention is to 7 provide a novel and improved cam for fiat knitting machines to operate a series of needles for multiple color work which will speed up the operation. v

Another object of my invention to construct a grooved cam mechanism for flat knitting machines including a novel and improved yarn carrier whereby the different colored yarn is worked simultaneously dur ing the operation of the carriage in each direction as opposed to the old practice.

A further object of my invention is to provide with the cam mechanism a series of needles of the same length, certain of the needles having long and other needles short butts or ends adapted to operate in the same 7 path or in different paths when actuated b the cam mechanism, and in timed relation to each other according to the particular (it sign or color arrangement desired.

In the present practice of producing multiple color work by fiat knitting machines, two operations are employed. First, certain of the needles are actuated in the needle bed to knit with one color as the carriage is moved. The next operation is to actuate other needles in the needle bed so that a second color may be worked. This requires two successive operations, backward and forward of the carriage and consequently retards and slows up the work.

The purpose and object therefor of my invention broadly is to construct acam mechanism which will cooperate with aspecial type of needle and yarn carrier so that multiple colored yarn may beworlred successively during the same back and forward movement of the carriage as opposed to the old practice. r

To enable others skilled in the art to more fully comprehend the underlying features of my invention that the same may be practiced and employed with such changes and alterations as may be required to installthe same on the well known types of flat knitting machines, drawings depicting a preferred form of the invention are annexed hereto as illustrating my invention, in which-- Fig. l is a hettom View shaming the earn 192%. Serial No. 102,794.

mechanism installed and set on the front and rear carriage of a flat knitting machine.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1. i

r Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 3 showing the triangular cam when moved up.

Fig. 5 is a detail view of the triangular. cam when removed.

Fig. 6 .is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a similar sectional view hown by Fig. 6 wherein the spring lug is engaged by the butt of one of the needles.

Fig. 8 is a .view showing the long and short butt needles.

Fig. 9 is a front view of the yarn carrier employed with my invention.

Fig. 10 is a side view of the yarn carrier shown by Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a view of the yarn carrier taken on the line 11-11 of Fig. 9.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, 5 designates the front carriage and 6 the rear carriage of a conventional type of flat knitting machine. The front and rear carriage each support a slotted cam plate 7, 8 to which the cam mechanismproper is set and locked from the top of the said carriages in any suitable manner. l

The rear cam plate 8 is provided with a 'middle and bridge cam 9, 10. the wing cams 11,12 and the auxiliary cams 13, 14. all of which are of well known con truction for working the one colored yarn. and consequently sinceit is only necessarvto modify the front carriage cam for multiple colored work. reference will now be hadto the cam IOU is parallel to a groove 29 or passage between e the wing 21 of the middle cam and the wing cam 17. The groove 19 extends substantially one half the length of the wing cam 17. The opposite groove 19 of the opposite wing cam 18 is similar in construction to groove 19 and parallel to the groove 20.

Referring tothe bridge cam 22, it will be observed that it is provided with a horizon tal, wide slot or recess a3, adjacent its top edge, and the horizontal passages 24L communicating with the grooves 20, The slot or recess 23 is of the same depth as the grooves 19, 19 and communicate therewith so that there is provided a continuous. countersunk passage from the front edges of the wing cams across the bridge cam, the purpose and object of which will be presently explained.

Cooperating with the middle cam 25, is a triangular cam 26 having a top plate and integral bolt 27, 28 formed therewith, said bolt having a cam slot 29 whereby it may be moved from the position shown by to the position shown by Fig. l, and thus change or alter the passage across the horizontal passages 24: by reason of the triangular or V-shaped slot 27 in the bridge cam. In other words, when the triangular cam 26 is down and in the position shown by Fig. 3, being flush withthe surface of the middle cam, the V-shaped slot 27 forms a continuation of the horizontal passages 24. On the other hand, when the triangular cam is up, and as shown by Fig. l, the horizontal passages 24' become practically continuous so that the needles=do not follow the V-shaped path butcontinue across the gap between the said passages.

In the grooves 19, 19 of the respective wing cams, slots or recesses are provided for the beveled head 30 of a square block 31 formedwith a pin or stem 32, said pin passing through a slot in a plate 33 and bearing against a'leaf spring 34:. The flat edge of the beveled head 30 prevents the passage of the needles through the groove in one directionbut permits the butts of the needles to ride over the beveled edge after said needles have been caused to enter the groove 15-) by reason of the wide, horizontal passage Ql ctni'ununicating therewith.

In order to better and further illustrate the function and purpose of the cam construction, it will be noted that in Fig. 8 I have shown two needles 35 of the same length, one having a short butt 36 and the other a longer butt 37. As the cam is moved over the needle bed and engages the long and short needle butts, assuming that the carriageis travelingfroin' left to right, the needle b'uttslwill enterand follow the communicating slots or passages 20, 24:. hen the triangular cam 26 is down and it is de sired to work in two colors for instance, the

. needle butts will continue in the V-shaped passage but since at this point in their passage, the shorter needle butts are free in the wide, horizontalpassage 23, instead of passing out through the groove 20, they are somewhat retarded and travel a greater distance, across the horizontal passage and into the groove '19. I have-shown this operation by illustratin the shorter needle butts passing through the horizontal passage 23 and groove 19 and the longer needle butts operating in the V-shaped slot or grooveQ'T and the groove or slot 20.

It will be recognized that the needle butts will be thus engaged by the cam mechanism when the carriage is moved from right to left or vice versa. In either event, the shorter needle butts will at a point in their travel become free of the V-shaped slot or groove and be dela ed or caused to travel out through a longer passage-as above indicated.

Since the long and short needle butts do not leave the cam mechanism at the same point, it has been necessary to modify the yarn carrier accordingly. Under ordinary conditions, the yarn is trained through the eye 36 and through suitable openings in the head 37 in close proximity to each other. In my improved yarn carrier, the different colored yarn is trained through'the eye 36 but one of the colors is branched oil by being passed through an elongated segmental slot 38 so that the distance bet-ween the different colored yarn at the point of the yarn carrier where it engages the needles proper is the same distance as the space between the parallel. grooves 19, 20 and 19, 20. This is necessary because the shorter butt needles are delayed in their passage or travel a longer distance so that the time they reach the yarn carrier, there must be a slight separation between the ditl'erent colored yarn so that it is possible to work in two colors. trained through the elongated slot is free to move from one end of the slot to the other whereas the other colored yarn is retained in the central slot in the head 37. V

lVhen' it is desired to work in only one color as is done by the use of'the cam shown in connection with the rear carriage, the triangular cam 26 is moved upward through any suitable means cooperating with the cam groove or slot 29. In this position, the butts of both the long and short needles will bridge the gap or space between the passages 2&. However, in working two colors, whenthe triangular cam is down, thus completing the triangular groove, the shorter butt needles are directed into the wide space or groove 23 and consequently pass through'either the groove 19 or 19*: depending on which way the carriage is moving. 4

Having shown and described my invention,what I now claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is: 1

1. Means for operating the needles of a flat knitting machine comprising amiddle cam, a grooved bridge cam spaced from the middle cam, a triangular cam between the middle and bridge cams forming a guide for long and short butt needles, and a grooved wing cam spaced from the sides of thernid- The yarn dle and bridge cams, the grooves in said bridge and Wing cams being continuous whereby certain of the needles may operate in either direction'in a different path from the needles passing through the guide.

2. Means for operating the needles of a Hat knitting machine comprising a middle cam, a grooved bridge cam spaced from the middle cam, a triangular cam between the middle and bridge cams forming a guide for long and short butt needles operating in either direction, and grooved wing cams spaced from both sides of the middle and bridge cams, one of'said wing cams being adapted to guide certain of the needles pass ing through the groove of said bridge cam.

3. Means for operating the needles of a flat knitting machine comprising a middle cam, a grooved bridge cam spaced from the middle cam, a triangular cam between the middle and bridge cams forming a guide for long and short butt needles operating in either direction and wing cams having grooves disposed in parallelism with the entrance and exit passages of said guide whereby the short butt needles operating in the grooved bridge cam may be caused to take a longer path in their travel than the long butt needles in the guide.

4. Means for operating the needles of a flat knitting machine comprising a middle cam, a grooved bridge cam spaced from the middle cam, a triangular cam between the middle and bridge cams forming a guide for long and short butt needles operating in either of two directions, means for raising the triangu lar cam whereby the long and short butt needles will operate in the samepath through the guide, and wing cams having grooves whereby the short butt needles passing through the groove in the bridge cam may be caused to take a longer path in their travel than the long butt needles when the triangular cam is in its lower position.

5. Means for operating the needles of a flat knitting machine comprising a middle cam, a bridge cam having a wide groove adj acent its base and spaced from the middle cam, a triangular cam and means for raising and lowering the same between the said middle and bridge cams, wing cams spaced from both sides of the middle and bridge cams forming a guide for a series of long and short butt needles operating in either direction, said wing cams having grooves adjacent one edge .in parallelism with a portion of the guide,

the grooves in said wing cams being continuations of the wide groove in the bridge cam whereby the short butt needles may be caused to follow a longer path in their travel than the long butt needles.

6. Means for operating the needles of a flat knitting machine comprising a middle cam, a bridge cam having a wide groove adjacent its base and spaced from the middle cam, a triangular cam between the middle and bridge cams forming a guide for a series of long and short butt needles operating in two directions, wing cams spaced from both sides of the middle and bridge cams forming entrance and exit passages to the said guide, said wing cams having grooves to prevent the entrance but permitting the passage of the short butt needles-passing through the wide groove of the bridge cam.

7. Means for operating the needles of a flat knitting machine comprising a middle cam, a bridge cam having a wide groove adjacent its base and spaced from the middle cam, a triangular cam between the middle and bridge cams forming a guide for a series of long and short butt needles operating in two directions, wing cams spaced from both sides of the middle and bridge cams forming entrance and exit passages to the said guide, said wing cams having grooves parallel to the said entrance and exit passages of the guide, and beveled lugs located in said grooves to prevent theentrance but permitthe passage of the short butt needles passing through the wide groove of the bridge cam when operating in either direction.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

JOHN MULLER.

iii) 

